Ernest Jones IV lands at No. 97 on NFL’s 2026 Top 100 list

Ernest Jones IV has been named to the NFL’s annual Top 100 Players list for 2026, earning a spot at No. 97 in the league-wide vote. For Seattle, the placement is another vote of confidence in a defense that has been built around strong linebacker play and the ability to adapt under a new head-coaching regime.

The linebacker’s run to his current role was not straightforward. The Seahawks organization noted that it took a pair of trades in 2024 for Jones to find a home, before he ultimately settled in Seattle after a midseason trade. That midyear shift matters in a player’s development because it compresses time needed to learn a new system while also creating an immediate performance expectation.

Now in the middle linebacker spot, Jones is listed as a key piece in the Seahawks’ defensive improvement, particularly during the middle portion of the team’s first season under head coach Mike Macdonald. The team’s framing is that the defense “turned a corner” as Seattle progressed through that year, and Jones’s presence in the middle helped stabilize how the unit played from snap to snap.

The Top 100 list itself functions as a league-wide peer assessment. Voting by players elevates the reputational side of performance, since the ranking reflects what teammates and opponents notice over the course of an NFL season rather than a single stat line or highlight reel.

For Seattle, the timing of the recognition is also important. Arriving after a season in which the organization emphasized defensive growth under Macdonald, the honor places Jones among a group of players regarded as difference-makers heading into the next phase of the franchise’s identity. In the Seahawks’ case, linebacker play is central to how defenses handle the run game and coordinate coverage responsibilities, so a midseason arrival followed by recognition suggests he has earned trust in the scheme.

As the 2026 NFL calendar moves forward, the main thing to watch is whether Jones continues to serve as the centerpiece of Seattle’s linebacker group and a stabilizing presence in the middle. The No. 97 ranking does not guarantee outcomes on its own, but it does provide a clear marker: league peers believe Jones is among the better players at his position.